About 10,700 civil servants in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have commenced the 2026 promotion examination, with the exercise expected to run through next week across designated centres in Abuja.
The examination, organised by the FCT Civil Service Commission, is aimed at ensuring eligible officers are promoted as and when due, while clearing outstanding backlogs inherited since the Commission became operational in 2024.
Chairman of the Commission, Engr. Emeka Ezeh, who monitored the exercise on Monday, said all outstanding backlogs have now been cleared and that from 2027, only the promotion exercise for the corresponding year will be conducted.
“About 10,700 of them are going to have the exam that started today. It’s going to run throughout this week up to next week, and we believe that at the end of the exercise, those who are successful will be promoted,” Ezeh said.
He said the exercise aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda for the civil service and the directive of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike that FCT workers should be promoted when due.
Ezeh attributed the relatively seamless conduct of this year’s exercise to lessons learnt from the previous edition, noting that measures were introduced to eliminate delays, overcrowding and technical glitches.
He listed the measures to include early commencement, use of generators instead of relying solely on power supply from the AEDC, and a first-come, first-served system for issuing examination cards.
The Commission chairman, however, cautioned that obtaining the minimum score does not automatically guarantee promotion, explaining that promotion is subject to maturity on the current post, attainment of the prescribed score and availability of vacancies.
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He said officers from Level 7 to Level 13 must have spent at least three years on their current posts, while officers on the directorate cadre, from Assistant Director upwards, must have spent at least four years, in addition to having no disciplinary case.
“The Public Service Rule and our guideline for appointment for promotion says that promotion shall be based on merit only,” Ezeh said, adding that where there are three vacancies and 10 qualified candidates, only the three with the highest scores will be promoted.
Meanwhile, the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), FCT/FCDA, which monitored the examination, commended the Commission for improved organisation compared with the previous exercise.
Secretary of JUAC, Comrade Abdullahi Umar Saleh, said the monitoring team observed reduced overcrowding, improved ventilation and adequate lighting at the venue, noting that discussions were ongoing with the FCT Administration over teachers’ demand for preferential treatment on vacancy requirements.
The FCTA Department of Security Services confirmed that adequate security arrangements were deployed to ensure a smooth exercise, a position corroborated by participants.
Some participants, including Temitope Kayode and Adama Zakari of the Abuja Infrastructure Investment Centre, described the conduct as smooth and orderly, consistent with observations by the Commission and JUAC.
Ezeh said the 2026 exercise will continue through next week as part of broader efforts to institutionalise timely, transparent and merit-based career progression within the FCT public service.
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